Eleanor Baker

Biographical info

Eleanor Elizabeth Baker was born on August 21 1944 and matriculated at F.H. Odendaal High in Pretoria. She obtained a masters degree in Afrikaans from the University of Pretoria in 1968 with honours, and focused in her dissertation on the novel. Eleanor’s first novel, Wêreld sonder einde, was published in 1972. Her husband, Walter, was in the diplomatic service and they lived in Teheran, The Hague, Montreal and Brussels.

She wrote 15 novels, two plays and several youth novels in her career. Die kwart-voor-sewe-lelie was nominated in 1991 for the Old Mutual prize for literature, while Verbeelde werklikheid reached the short list of the M-Net book prize in 1996. Daar is spore op die maan won the SA Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns’ Scheepers prize in 1992 and the book was also prescribed for schools.

She died on July 1 2002 at the age of 57. Her last book, Die ander Marta, was published in October 2002.

Pseudonyms

She wrote 30 love stories under the pseudonym Christine le Roux and wrote five spy novels as Alex Muller. One of her love stories, Die ontbrekende helfte (Le Roux), won the Ela Spence medal for light fiction in 1996.

Did you know?

·

Baker’s stay overseas was often the inspiration for her novels. Her travel book As ’n pou kon vlieg (1980), tells the story of their stay in Iran. During this time the revolution broke out and the Shah had to flee the country in 1978. Her son Alexander was born in Teheran, and she was pregnant with her daughter Christine when she had to flee the country.

·

She was one of four writers selected to participate in the TV1 project Vierspel in 1993 and 1995. Every writer had to write a script that was based on the same basic premise, and each script was directed by a different director. In 1986 Baker’s Weerkaatsings was published as a serial in the Danish magazine Allers and in a Finnish magazine.

·

A stage adaptation of Die ander Marta debuted in 2005 at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees in Oudtshoorn.